Ce Jourd’huy seize May Mil sept Cent soixante Dix huite De Relevée Et Comparû Pardevant Les Notaires Royaux En lisle Martinique Resident au Bourg S^t. Pierre sousignés Et Dans LEtude De Ponsard Lun Deux Sieur Miller Johnston De Newbery Etat De La Baye De Massachusets Dans Lamerique Cy Devant Commandant Le Brig- antin Nominé La Prudence apartenant aux s^rs. Jean Payson De Salem Et Jean Johnston

De Barwick Chargé De
90006. Poids Planches De sap Blanc
20000. Mirrains De Chaine Rouge
25000. Feuillards
Et 40000. ou Environs Essentes
Laquels Par Linterpretation De Sieur François Michel interprete Juré De La Langue angloise Etably En Ce Bourg au Dit Et DEclaré Et Même affirmé a Serments De Luy Pris Et Recû Par Les Dits Notaires que Le sept avril Dernier Il Fit Voile De Piscataqua Et qui Les Vingt Neuf Du Dit Il Rencontra a Environ quarantes Lieux au Vent D’an- tigua un Bateau armé ayant Pavillon anglois qui Porta Tout De Suite Sur Luy Et après Luy avoir Donné Chase Pendant quatre heures Et Luy avoir Tiré Cinq ou Six Coups De Canons Il Le Joignit Et Lorsquil Fut a La portée De La Voix Il Luy Demanda D’ou Il Venoit Et Comme Il Luy Repondit De La Nouvelle Ecosse, Il Luy ordonna De Met- tre son Canot a La Mer, Et De se Rendre a son Bord, Ce que Le Sieur Comparant fit Et Lorsquil fut a Bord Du dit Bateau ont Luy Demanda ses Papiers Et Comme Il Craignoit que Le Dit Bateau fut un Croiseur anglois Il Leur Remit Des Vieux Papiers anglois quil avoit aporté avec Luy Et après quon Les Eut Examiné Le Capne Du Bateau Luy Dit quil Etoit Corsaire ameriquain Et quil Etoit De Bonne Prise, Et Donna Des ordres Pour que Le Coffre Du Sieur Comparant fut Porté Dans son Bateau Et Lorsquil y fut Le Comparant Luy Montra Les Veritables Papiers americain Comatants En Laete De Propriete LExpedition Du Bureau Du Domaine De Piscataqua Et Les ordres De ses armateurs a La Datte Du Six avril ou Environ, Cependant au Prejudice De Cette Justification Le Corsaire Insista que son Brigantin Etoit De Bonne Prise, fit sortir Dicellecy Cinq hommes De LEquipage Du Sieur Comparant y Mit un Cap^ne De Prise Et douze De son Matelots Et Donna En particulier Des ordres au Capne De Prise concernant Le Brigantin Et après Lavoir gardé quainze Jours abord du dit Bateau Ils fut Mis a Terre Près De La guadeloupe observant Le Sieur Comparant quil a apris a Lors que Le Dit Bateau Corsaire Etoit Commandé Par Le Sieur Fontaineau quil se Nommé Le Rancard Et quil apartinoit a Des M^rs. De Cette Isle M/que.

Et Etant Icy Presente John Donton Et John adams Cy Devant Matelots Embarqué Dans Le Dit Brigantin Lesquels Par Linterpretation Du Dit Sieur Michel ont Dit Et DEclaré Et même affirme a serment que LExposé De La DEclaration Cy Desus Et Sincere Et Veritable En tout son Contenû Pour avoir Eté Present a Tout Et De Laquelle Le Dit Sieur Johnston Nous a Requis acte Pour Luy Servir En tems Et Lieu, Et a Ce que De Raison octroyé, faite Et Passé au Lieu Sur dit Et ont Les Comparants signé avec Le dit S^r. Michel Et Les dits Nor^es. Signés Miller Johnston, John Donton, John adams, F^s. Michel, Baudon Nore., Et Ponsard. aussy No^re. Depositaire De Laminute,

[Translation]
Today, sixteen May One Thousand seven Hundred seventy-Eight, stood up and ap- peared before the undersigned Royal Notaries of the island of Martinique residing in the town of St. Pierre and in the office of Ponsard, one of the two notaries, Mr. Miller Johnston of Newburyport, State of Massachusetts Bay in America, the former Commander of The Brigantine Called The Prudence belonging to Messrs. John Payson of Salem and John Johnston Of Berwick, [Me.], Laden With
90006 Feet of White pine boards
20000 Red Oak Staves
25000 Iron hoops
And 40000 or Thereabout Shingles [or Shakes]
Which, By The translation Of Mr. François Michel sworn interpreter of the English Language Established In This Town, Said And Declared And Even affirmed on oath Administered to Him and Received By the Said Notaries that On seven April Last He Made Sail From Piscataqua And that on The Twenty-Ninth Of the Same He En- countered About forty Leagues to the Windward Of antigua an armed Boat having an English Flag that was raised immediately On Her And after She had Given Chase For four hours And had Fired at Him Five or Six Cannon Shots, He Joined Him And When he was within Hearing he Asked Whence He Came And As He Answered Him From Nova Scotia, He ordered Him to Put his Boat in The Water, And To Come on board, Which the Gentleman declarant did And When he was on Board Of the said Boat Asked Him for his Papers And As He Feared that The Said Boat Was an English Cruiser He delivered over Some Old English Papers that he had brought with Him and after They Had Been Examined The Captain Of the Boat Told Him that he Was an American Privateer And that he Was A Good Prize, And Gave Orders That The Chest of the Gentleman declarant be Brought In his Boat And When it was there the Declarant Showed Him The True American Papers [presenting in proof] of Property The Consignment from the Office of the Port of Piscataqua And The orders Of his owner dated 6 April or Thereabout, Nevertheless in Detriment Of This Justi- fication The Privateer Insisted that his Brigantine Was a Good Prize, took from It Five Crew men Of the Gentleman Declarant and Sent on board a Prize Master And a dozen Of his Sailors And Gave In Particular orders to the Prize Master Concerning The Brigantine, And after Having remained fourteen Days on board the said Boat He Was Put Ashore Near Guadeloupe, The Gentleman Declarant Observing that he then learned The Said Privateer Boat Was Commanded By Mr. Fontaineau, that it was Called The Rancard, And that it belonged to Some Gentlemen of The Island of Martinique.

And Having Here Presented John Donton and John Adams, Former Seamen Embarked In The Said Brigantine, Who By The translation Of The Said Mr. Michel have Said And Declared And even affirmed on oath that The Report of The Above Statement Is both Sincere and True In all its Contents, For having Been Present at All, and Of Which The Said Mr. Johnston has Required of Us a document for His Use In Time and Place, And for that Purpose it is granted, done and passed in the Place mentioned above, And they have signed, The Declarant with The said Mr.Michel And The said Notaries. Signed Miller Johnston, John Donton, John Adams, Frs. Michel, Baudon Notary, And Ponsard also Notary. Depositary Of The draft,

Signed and Compared
signed Baudon signed Ponsard¹